what were the earlier forms of the french flag

The royal government used many flags, the best known being a blue shield and gold fleur-de-lis (the Royal Arms of France) on a white background, or state flag. Early in the French Revolution, the Paris militia, which played a prominent role in the storming of the Bastille, wore a cockade of blue and red, the city's traditional colours.

Full Answer

What was the original French flag?

The original flag would have comprised of many golden fleur-de-lys emblems scattered across a blue background. Soon enough, this was dropped in favour of three fleur-de-lys, a representation of the Holy Trinity. This three fleur-de-lys flag (which can also be spelt fleur-de-lis) was in use right up until the 19th-century.

Who founded the French flag?

According to French general Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, white was the "ancient French colour" and was added to the militia cockade to create a tricolour, or national, cockade of France. This cockade became part of the uniform of the National Guard, which succeeded the militia and was commanded by Lafayette.

What is the history behind the French flag?

The flag of France is the Tricolor. The original use of the three color flag dates back to 1789. The colors were used to represent a good relation between the King and the city of Paris. It was meant to be Paris re-conquered by its King. The color white represents the royalty and the blue and red colors were to be the arms of the city.

What does the French flag symbolize?

What does French flag represent? T he colors symbolize nobility (blue), clergy (white), and bourgeois (red), which were the estates of the old regime in France. When the Tricolour was formally adopted in 1794, its colors symbolized the values of the French Revolution: liberty, equality, brotherhood, democracy, secularism, and modernization.

What was the old French flag?

The "tricolore" (three-colour) flag is an emblem of the Fifth Republic. It had its origins in the union, at the time of the French Revolution, of the colours of the King (white) and the City of Paris (blue and red). Today, the "tricolour" flies over all public buildings.

Were there earlier forms of the flag Why have the changes been made French flag?

The modern tricolor flag was derived from military cockades used during the French Revolution. It was in 1790 when the simple design that has inspired France's modern flag was adopted. Just four years later, however, changes were made to the flag. This was simply to reverse the order of the colors.

What was the French flag in the 1700s?

France. Fleur-de-Lis From 1590-1790 the Fleur-de-Lis (flower of the lily) with a blue field was one of four that was used on warships and fortresses. The most important flag carried by explorers and settlers was most likely this royal flag.

What did the French flag look like?

vertically striped blue-white-red national flag. Its width-to-length ratio is 2 to 3. Under the ancien régime, France had a great number of flags, and many of its military and naval flags were elaborate and subject to artistic variations.

What is the French flag reversed?

The Dutch flag is often confused with the French flag which has exactly the same colors but instead of horizontal is vertical. While in other countries it is quite common to use the country flag often and in all kinds of forms, like stickers on your car or backpack, this is not so common in The Netherlands.

What is the French tricolor?

FranceFlag of France / Country

Did France change its flag?

The blue on France's flag has been reverted back to its original shade of navy to honour the French Revolution. The change was initiated by President Emmanuel Macron last year when flags featuring its new navy shade were hoisted up at the presidential palace.

Did France have a white flag?

During the period of the Ancien Régime, starting in the early 17th century, the royal standard of France became a plain white flag as a symbol of purity, sometimes covered in fleur-de-lis when in the presence of the king or bearing the ensigns of the Order of the Holy Spirit.

What did the British flag look like in the 1700s?

The flag of Great Britain, commonly known as King's Colours, the first Union Flag, the Union Jack, or the British flag, was used at sea from 1606 and more generally from 1707 to 1801. It was the first flag of Great Britain....Flag of Great Britain.UseNaval ensignDesignA cross of St George with the flag of Great Britain in the canton15 more rows

What did the French flag look like before the revolution?

Before the tricolour was adopted the royal government used many flags, the best known being a blue shield and gold fleur-de-lis (the Royal Arms of France) on a white background, or state flag....Flag of France.Proportion2:3 (habitual)Adopted1974DesignAn interchangeable variant of the national flag with lighter shades13 more rows

What was the first tricolor flag?

The first association of the tricolour with republicanism is the orange-white-blue design of the Prince's Flag (Prinsenvlag, predecessor of the flags of the Netherlands), used from 1579 by William I of Orange-Nassau in the Eighty Years' War, establishing the independence of the Dutch Republic from the Spanish Empire.

When was the French flag white?

In fact, between 1814 and 1830, the French flag was just plain white.

When was the French flag adopted?

The French National Convention adopted the modern blue-white-red flag as the national flag on February 15, 1794 (27 pluviôse an. II in the revolutionary calendar). The relevant part of the decree says, in translation: The national flag shall be formed of the three national colours, set in three equal bands, vertically arranged ...

What is the French flag?

History of the French flag. During the Ancien Régime, the oriflamme, the flag of Saint-Denis, was used -- red, with 2, 3 or 5 spikes. Originally, it was the personal flag of Charlemagne, given to him by the Pope in the 9th century. Over the time, it became the royal banner under the Carolingians and the Capetians.

What colors did Lafayette use?

One theory says that Lafayette was inspired by the colours used by the American revolutionaries; another that it symbolized the control of the people over the monarchy (Paris' colours - blue and red - bording monarchy's colour - ...

What is the flag of France with a red cross on it?

The flag of Free France featured a red Cross of Lorraine on a Tricolore Enlarge The flag of Free France featured a red Cross of Lorraine on a Tricolore.

What was the red flag used for during the French Revolution?

During the Revolution of 1848, the red flag was raised by radicals supporting a socialist alternative government to the new French Second Republic while moderates rallied to the tricolore. In World War II, Vichy France continued to use the traditional French standard.

Why did the French wear a white scarf on their flags?

In the French military, every regiment had its own flag. An accident where French regiments attacked each other at the Battle of Fleurus in 1690 led to the habit of attaching a white scarf to the flags of the regiments -- white being the colour of the kings of France.

Why did the Navy use the white flag?

It came into use on May 20, 1794, in order to avoid confusion in naval warfare. Its adoption was not universally welcomed; the navy threatened to mutiny, since they were at the time continuing to fight under the white flag of the monarchy.

What is the old flag of France?

The merchant navy was assigned "the old flag of the nation of France", the white cross on a blue field. There also was a red jack for the French galleys. The Kingdom of France flag consists of a white banner with 86 Fleur-de-lis and their Coat of Arms or without. (Variant) The Oriflamme, the banner of the Capetians.

What is the French flag?

As above, but with bars in proportion 30:33:37 (See French ensigns) The flag of France (French: drapeau français) is a tricolour flag featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side ), white, and red. It is known to English speakers as the French Tricolour or simply the Tricolour ( French: Tricolore ).

What is the flag of New Orleans?

Flag of New Orleans, Louisiana. Although part of France, the flag of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon does not incorporate the current national flag. The island's flag is based on the historic regional emblems of the Basque Country, Brittany and Normandy. This flag lacks official status.

What house of Bourbon ruled France?

Later during the Middle Ages, these colours came to be associated with the reigning house of France. In 1328, the coat-of-arms of the House of Valois was blue with gold fleurs-de-lis bordered in red.

What was the red cape of the French king?

French kings went forth into battle preceded either by Saint Martin's red cape, which was supposed to protect the monarch, or by the red banner of Saint Denis. The Royal Banner of France or "Bourbon Flag". The House of Bourbon ruled France from 1589 to 1792 and again from 1815 to 1848.

What was the flag of Saint Denis?

Originally, it was the royal banner under the Capetians. It was stored in Saint-Denis abbey, where it was taken when war broke out. French kings went forth into battle preceded either by Saint Martin's red cape, which was supposed to protect the monarch, or by the red banner of Saint Denis.

What is the French national flag?

Design. Article 2 of the French constitution of 1958 states that "the national emblem is the tricolour flag, blue, white, red". In modern representations, two versions are in use, one darker and the other lighter: both are used equally, but the light version is far more common on digital displays.

Why is the French flag blue?

The first French banner known is the one of king Louis VII leaving for the crusade of 1147 : just like the coronation clothes it was blue scattered with gold lily flowers, in order to signify to the world that the chosen ones (the heavenly Jerusalem) helped him . Charles V (1364-1380) reduced the fleurs-de-lis to three in honour of the Holy Trinity. This banner of France was still present at Louis XVIII funeral (1824).

What was the color of the French flag at Louis XVIII's funeral?

This banner of France was still present at Louis XVIII funeral (1824). From the beginning of the XIVth century, white was the color of the French, especially on the cross of their clothes opposed to the red cross of Englishmen (circa 1350).

What was the national flag in 1814?

National ensign (1814) National flag Hundred-Days (1815) National ensign (1815-1830) The King being back in 1814, the white cockade spread and an order of the provisional Government (April 13th) decided that the white ensign and the white cockade would be displayed on the war and merchant vessels. Nothing else was decided.

When was the Tricolour Flames on the ship?

It will be displayed on all ships on the 1st day of prairial (May 20th, 1794). It went ashore to replace the tricolour flames on public buildings, and it was seen on the building of the Tuileries during the installation of the First Consul on 19th February, 1801.

When did the Navy start using the white ensign?

The Ordinance of October 9th, 1661 formalized the plain white ensign for warships. A little later, in 1689, a new order defined for the Royal Navy for trade, a blue ensign bearing a white cross charged with the coat of arms of France (sometimes omitted).

When did the color blue change to red?

The shade of colors has never been specified in any text. However, President Giscard d’Estaing changed the shade of blue in June 1976, by lightening it in order to make it more ‘readable’ or more ‘telegenic’ (Pantone 286 C approximately) while the red became more vivid (Pantone 185 C approximately).

Who restored the tricolor flag?

After the July Revolution (the Three Glorious years), Louis-Philippe duke of Orléans, lieutenant general of the Kingdom, restored the tricolor flag by the ordinance of 1st August 1830 and became Louis-Philippe Ist King of the French. During his reign the Navy obtained that bands have over 100 unequal widths 30 for blue, ...

What is the national flag of France?

Since March 5, 1848, however, the Tricolor has been the sole national flag of France and of all territories under its control. Like many early national flags, the Tricolor has no specific symbolism attached to the individual colours and shapes in its design. Whitney Smith The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

What colors were used in the French Revolution?

In the aftermath of the French Revolution of 1789 the emphasis was refocused to simple flag designs that expressed the radical changes being introduced into France’s social, political, and economic life. Blue and red, the traditional colours of Paris, were popular among revolutionaries in that city, and the Bourbon royal white was often added.

What is the significance of the French tricolor?

In that way the French Tricolor became one of the most-influential national flags in history, standing in symbolic opposition to the autocratic and clericalist royal standards of the past as well as to the totalitarian banners of modern communism and fascism.

Why is the French tricolor used?

At first the French Tricolor was used as a symbol of belief in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. In 1803, however, Haitians removed the white stripe from the Tricolor, and the new blue-red flag, representing the black and mulatto populations only, became the….

When did the tricolour become the national flag of Hungary?

These became part of the Austrian merchant flag in 1869 after the two countries formed the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. In 1918, with the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the tricolour became the national flag of an independent Hungary. The traditional coat of arms was…. flag of Mauritania.

When did the Navy add the stripes to the flag?

In 1790 three equal vertical stripes, arranged red-white-blue within a frame of the same colours, were added to the white flag of the navy. Four years later the Tricolor, with stripes now ordered blue-white-red, was made the official national flag for use by the common people, the army, and the navy.

What happened after Napoleon's victory?

After the military victories of Napoleon I under the Tricolor, the Bourbon Restoration in 1814/15 led to the replacement of all symbols. The white flag was again supreme, but the revolution of 1830, which put Louis-Philippe on the throne, restored the Tricolor. In 1848 many sought to impose a communist red banner on France, ...

What is the French flag called?

The Fascinating History Behind the French Flag. Known also as the French Tricolore and in French Le drapeau tricolore, the French flag is one of the most fascinating and iconic in European history. Here’s a quick insight into the story behind the French flag that is so familiar to us today. The Tricolore’s origin is inextricably linked to ...

What flag was used to represent France?

This is thought to be one of the first times the Tricolore was used to represent France. The Tricolore flag wasn’t displayed that much during the Revolution itself, but its revolutionary connotations were already etched into its short history.

What colors did the French wear during the Revolution?

During the Revolution, blue and red rosettes were worn by the militia, in keeping with the colours of the French coat of arms as well as the red and blue flag of Paris.

When did the Tricolore come out?

The Tricolore’s origin is inextricably linked to the French Revolution (1789- 1799) , but the flag of France has changed over the centuries, depending on who ruled the country.

When was the French flag born?

Yup. The French flag, more-or-less how we know it today, was actually born in 1790. And for 4 years, from 1790 to 1794, the ordering of the colors were red, white and blue, opposite what they are today.

When did the French flag change to white?

From 1814 to 1830, the French flag was white. Plain.

What is the fleur de lis pattern?

A pattern of golden fleur-de-lis over a field of blue color was a visual motif that would eventually come to represent the ruling house of Capet and French kings to follow. The motif was used on battle shields, royal family crests and fabric to name a few.

What was the second French Revolution?

The second French Revolution, the revolution of 1830. Also called the July Revolution, the revolution of 1830 saw the overthrow of king Charles X, a French Bourbon monarch. The constitutional monarchy was replaced by the “July Monarchy,” and the French flag as we know it today was restored as the official flag of France. Aye voila.

What was the flag of Paris?

At the time, the flag of Paris was simply a band of blue next to a band of red.

Why did Saint Martin of Tours cut off a piece of his blue cloak?

Legend goes that Saint Martin of Tours cut off a piece of his blue cloak to give to a beggar. This piece of blue fabric became a relic and it’s believed that Clovis was the first to carry this relic into battle. Blue would become linked to his rule, family and heirs.

What was the region of Europe that became France?

Prior to Clovis, the region of Europe that would eventually become France was made up of different Frankish tribes, each with their own royal chieftain as its ruler. Clovis changed all of this, conquering and uniting all of the Frankish tribes under his rule.

What were the national flags of France?

During this period, the royal coat of arms, a blue shield, and the three golden fleurs-de-lis, were the national emblems of France.

When did the French change the colors of the flag?

The red-white-blue order was later changed to blue-white-red, which is the current design of the flag, on February 15th, 1794. However, despite the Tricolore's official status, it was hardly used during the French revolution, and its prominence was restored under Napoleon.

What flag is placed behind the president?

The French Tricolour and the European flags are traditionally placed behind the president when he gives public speeches on television. Also, mayors and members of parliament wear a sash with colours from the French flag on their right shoulder during public ceremonial events. rnt.

What does the blue and red flag represent?

The blue-white-red tricolour in the flag represents freedom, which resulted from the French revolution in the late 18th century. This flag is among the most inspiring flags in history, with its tricolour system being adopted by nations across Europe as well as the entire world. The blue-white-red tricolour flag was declared as the national emblem of the French Republic during the constitutions of 1946 and 1958.

What color was the national guard uniform?

rnrn. rnrn. rnrn. On October 24th, 1790, a Drapeau Tricolore, with vertical red, white and blue bands was officially accepted by the Constituent Assembly.

What is the flag of France?

According to the 1958 French constitution, the tricolour flag of blue, white and red were declared the official emblem of the state of France. There are two versions of the flag, darker and lighter shades, both of which are used equally. However, the darker shade is used in town halls, public buildings, official state buildings and barracks while the lighter one is commonly used for digital displays.

What was the French flag in 1814?

Later during the restoration of the Bourbons sovereignty in France, between 1814-1830, the flag of France was a plain white banner or a white banner (which represented purity and royal authority) with the Bourbons coat of arms. Afterwards, following the conclusion of the French wars of religion ...

When did the French flag start using stripes?

The striped colors were first used on navy flags in 1790 and on every French armament by 1794. The law of 27 pluviôse, Year II (February 15, 1794), established the ‘tricolor’ as the national flag. A part of the decree in translation read, “The national flag shall be formed of the three national colors, set in three equal bands, ...

When did the French flag come back?

Used by the free French forces during WWII. The current French flag was brought back only after the July revolution. It has been in use till date. The constitutions of 1946 and 1958 (article 2) instituted the “blue, white, and red” flag as the national emblem of the Republic.

What was the national flag of France in 1830?

During the revolution of 1830, Louis-Philippe restored the tricolor as the national flag, which the Vichy regime continued to use. Since then, no changes were made to its colors and patterns. However, the Free French Forces under Charles De Gaulle added a red Cross of Lorraine to distinguish themselves. The national flag of France (current design) ...

What does the French flag represent?

The national flag with its various emblems, designs, and colors represents national pride and ethos. The French flag is no different. The French national flag is called, ‘The Tricolor’, and in French Le drapeau tricolore. It has three vertical bands, colored blue on hoist ...

What was the French flag in the 9th century?

During this period, the flag of Saint-Denis was used. It was red in color and had 2, 3, or 5 spikes stitched on it. It was given by the Pope to Charlemagne, and became the royal banner under which a war was waged in the 9 th century. The fleur-de-lis or lily, the traditional emblem of France, first appeared on the flag along with the royal coat of arms, a blue shield with three golden fleurs-de-lis, during the 12 th century. After the Bourbons came to power, they added their dynastic color white as the background.

What is the ratio of the French flag?

The shape and ratio of the flag is 2:3, that is the length is 1½ times the height. The French flag is hoisted atop all the government and historical monuments upholding its tradition and pride in its history.

What is the color of the Saint Denis?

Red is the color of Saint Denis, the patron saint of Paris. Modern-day Belief: Red and blue are colors of Paris. White represents the color of the Royal House of Bourbon. The ideals of the French Revolution; liberty, equality, and fraternity are represented by red, white, and blue respectively.

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